


I'll Build a Future for You

by Pyreof_Books



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andreil Week 2018, Anxiety, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, M/M, Neil is breaking down, Not Canon Compliant, andrew has Plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 18:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15201251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyreof_Books/pseuds/Pyreof_Books
Summary: The Moriyamas made their conditions clear. Neil worries he won't meet them.





	I'll Build a Future for You

            As a Sophomore at Palmetto, the differences between his concerns the year before and now weighed heavily on Neil’s mind. He was not used to having to plan beyond the next day. He rarely used to go beyond a week. In Millport, though he stayed for a year- a year of paranoia and loss and grief- he was too numb to grab a map and pick a name. The options he had were narrow confines and exy was the air in the shrinking box. Now, Neil had _years_ ahead of him. He could break his life into pieces to relieve that anxious knowledge.

            He had three more years at Palmetto. For two of those, he would be captain. For one, he would be alone without Andrew or any of the original Foxes. At the end, he will have a degree in Linguistics with minors in Spanish and Mathematics. If he was good enough, he would sign for the pro team that offered him the most money. If he got injured, he would have to translate for the Moriyamas. If he did well, he would be allowed to have a life with Andrew, maybe get a chance to see wrinkles on his face and eat dinner with the Foxes around _their_ table. There were less ‘ifs’ in his future than his past, but Neil fretted over them far more.

            At the time, Neil had been happy (relieved excited _happy_ ) to take the deal with the Moriyamas. He, Jean, and Kevin got an out, a way to survive with no repercussions. Or so he had thought. Really, Neil had agreed to tether himself to a sport he loved, where his life was based on his performance. What if he failed at exy? What if the Moriyamas brought him to a dock and shot him? What if Andrew tried to stop them?

            So Neil played. He practiced. He ate and slept and made a routine for himself. He _would_ be the best exy player, would make the most money, would please the Moriyamas. He would keep his family.

            However, the fraying edges of his resolve were torn from years of abuse, his anxiety a pebble in his shoe and an arrow through his knee, and every dream held axes over his ankles and fists in his hair.

            Of course, Andrew noticed. He saw the bruising purple under Neil’s eyes and the small twitches in his step, like he would sprint at any minute. Neil was prepared to run, but not for the same reasons as before. Like if there were a car coming in the opposite lane, he would rush out to stop it even though it was yards away from his precious Foxes.

            When they were at practice, Neil leaned back on the couch next to Andrew while Wymack went through the line up of the team they were playing that week. A few minutes into the droning, he fell asleep, head barely touching Andrew’s shoulder and body still tight with tension.

            “Neil!” Really, Wymack didn’t say his name all that loud, but Neil was jumpy, and his dreams were horrors and Wymack was a _man_ and-

            Neil shot out of his seat and immediately took in the room for threats, breath coming out harshly. Everyone held still for a moment while he took in his team; the baby foxes snickered into their hands until Andrew silenced them with a glance. Matt looked like he was going to go over and give Neil a hug, but Wymack spoke first.

            “You’re benched for this game and practice until you get some proper sleep. I want those bags under your eyes gone, hear me?” Wymack growled the words out to Neil, still standing in the middle of the locker room.

            “Coach, I’m fine. You can’t just-”

            “Neil, shut up,” Andrew said from the couch, staring at Neil. Shockingly, Neil listened and relaxed his posture by a fraction, looking at the ground like a child caught doing something naughty. “Wymack, we’re leaving.” Andrew stood and Wymack nodded, watching Neil trail out the door. He stumbled a little.

Andrew didn’t feel anything about this at all, but if he did it would be anger that it took everyone this long to realize something was wrong. Andrew wasn’t allowed to twitch in the wrong way before Neil was there with chocolate and cigarettes and _space_ , as if he could offer anything he wanted even if all he needed was _nothing_.

            Wordlessly, Andrew lead Neil out to the car and lit two cigarettes. Neil took his from between Andrew’s fingers and cradled it close to his face, leaning on the car next to him.

            “I must really look like shit,” Neil watched the smoke curl in the air.

            “‘Shit’ is how Kevin looks after Edens. You look like you went three rounds with Renee and are about to lose,” Andrew took a deep drag and ashed on the pavement. “You tell Bee what’s been eating at you yet?”

            Neil shook his head. “I haven’t told her everything. Besides, she still wants me to talk about my mother. I _know_ she wasn’t the picture of love and compassion, but I’m alive. I owe her some respect in my memory for that. But I know she hurt me and I know it wasn’t okay no matter the circumstances and I just want to stop talking about her with Bee now. I can’t just spring ‘I’m forever indebted to the Moriyamas because they think they own me’ on her in one session, can I?” Andrew shrugged.

            “You can’t keep sleeping in class and practicing all night, can you? You may have the endurance for a marathon, but running them weekly is going to break you. And Bee won’t talk about anything you don’t want to.”

            Neil puffed his cigarette and scraped the ground with his shoe. “As long as they are in power, I’m in danger. I know too much; so do Kevin and Jean. I can’t hide, I can’t run, I… I don’t know how to fight this- for _this-_ without killing myself,” He flicked his cigarette away like it was the poison in his veins and stood in front of Andrew. “How do I survive it?”

            Andrew tossed his smoke away, too, and clamped his hand on the back of Neil’s neck, dragging him to his eye level. “We’re going to go back to the dorm and you’re going to sleep. Then eat. Maybe watch a movie and dig into that steaming pile of homework you let build on your desk. Then we’re going to call your Uncle.”

            “Stuart? But-” Neil frowned, a furrow forming between his brows.

            “I’m not letting them get you, do you understand? You are _not_ property, or the house translator, or an exy playing machine, despite your Junkie status. Your life doesn’t belong to anyone,” Andrew stared Neil down, pulling their foreheads together. “Renee and I have looked into your Uncle and the business the Moriyamas are doing. We’ve been watching them just as closely they watch you. You may not be able to survive them, but if we take them down there will be no one after you anymore other than a few strays on your father’s side.”

            Neil thought he was still asleep on the couch, but he’d never been able to dream the expression on Andrew’s face; anger, resolve, and something else. Something he was afraid to call by name. “I belong to you, Andrew. You gave me a choice and I made it. You,” Neil closed his eyes and pressed against Andrew a little harder, a grin wide on his face. “We’ll call later. You’re right.”

            Andrew clenched his fist and pulled his hand away from Neil. He stepped back. “Let’s go, rabbit.”

            Back at the dorm, Andrew made good on his list. They laid down in Andrew’s bunk, him with a book and his glasses and Neil with Andrew’s hoodie on and briefs. Andrew let him curl his back to his side and use his arm as a pillow. They didn’t move for hours, nothing except Andrew turning the page or Neil occasionally sighing in his sleep and nuzzling Andrew’s bicep. He woke when Kevin carefully cracked open the door to their suite, trying not to make sound but Neil being too light a sleeper, even exhausted.

            Neil turned his head to look at Andrew, who was a few pages away from the end of his book. He rolled over to face him fully, yawning into his arm and keeping an inch of space between them. Andrew used his left arm (partially asleep) to drag him closer. Neil hummed in content and stared as Andrew came to the end of his book.

            “How long did I sleep?” Neil asked. “Was the book any good?”

            “About five hours. I thought I guessed the ending half way through, but as it turns out the mother was the killer after all,” Andrew took off his glasses and put them aside with his book. “I’m hungry.”

            Reluctantly, they detangled themselves and fumbled down the latter, cursing the small room. They walked into the kitchen, where Kevin was standing around the elements for his kale smoothie with a puzzled expression on his face. Then he saw them and frowned deeper.

            “You’re supposed to be sleeping. We need you for the next game! I tried to get coach to let you play Friday if you slept but-” Andrew cut him off with a knife twirling in his fingers.

            Neil saw what Andrew had and silently held his hand out. Andrew cocked an eyebrow, wondering what he needed the blade for but handed it over all the same. Now Neil turned on Kevin, tossing the turning knife in the air and catching it without looking. In the blink of an eye, it had imbedded itself in the table by Kevin’s left hand.

            “Five hours is a long time for me. You woke me up when you came in,” That was all Neil said before he moved in to the kitchen to retrieve the knife and started pulling out chicken and rice from the mini fridge and grabbing some peaches and ice cream too. Kevin didn’t say another word, but made his smoothie without making eye contact with either of them.

            Andrew and Neil ate on the couch while some murder mystery movie played on the TV. They ate one handed, Neil’s free hand curled on Andrew’s leg and Andrew’s buried in Neil’s hair. It might have been awkward if Neil didn’t enjoy the contact so much. They finished eating before the movie ended but continued to watch in silence, Andrew pulling Neil to lay down in his lap without taking his hand out of his red locks.

When it was over, Andrew held his hand out for Neil’s phone, who picked it out of the pocket of his sweatshirt and started to sit up. Andrew pushed him back down, asking ‘yes or no’. Neil said yes.

He dialed a number into the phone and held it up on speaker between them. “Hey, kiddo. It’s         been awhile since you last called! Your cousin-”

“Stuart, it’s Andrew and Neil. How would you like to expand your empire to the states?” Neil flashed his father’s grin in response to Andrew’s manic one. They were taking back what was _theirs_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I HATE how Neil, Kevin, and Jean are stuck owing the Moriyamas. Like yeah it was clever and made sense but I WANT MY BOY TO BE FREEEEE! Plus if Stuart got legs in the US I don't think it would be such a bad thing. I see him as the money laundering badass Mafia man not the drug/human trafficking/ murder for funsies kinda mob boss, yah know?


End file.
